H.M.S. E 39 (1916)

H.M.S. E 39 (1916)
Pendant Number:	E.39
Builder:	Palmer Shipbuilding and Iron Company
Launched:	18 May, 1916
Commissioned:	Oct, 1916
Sold:	Oct, 1921

H.M.S. E 39 was one of fifty-seven "E" class submarines completed in Britain before and during the Great War.

Service

In November 1916, she was added to the Tenth Submarine Flotilla, which was supporting the Grand Fleet. E 44 is also part of the flotilla along with seven "G" class submarines. She remained with 10 S.F. until March 1919, when she was assigned to the Seventh Submarine Flotilla, which had just been reconstituted after being disestablished in September 1916.

Her last wartime commander, and perhaps only her second ever commander, Lieutenant-in-Command Maurice William Bailward ended his appointment on 31 October, 1919, and the submarine was slated to join other subs in the Materiel Reserve at Portsmouth in November, 1919. She was one of four "E" class boats of 2 S.F. reduced to a Care and Maintenance Party at Devonport on 25 November as part of a plan to reduce the Atlantic Fleet from four submarine flotillas to three.

At the end of 1920, she was one of nine "E" class boats of Group "H" in reserve at Rosyth under the collective command of Lieutenant Victor C. Dorman-Smith, and tender to Dolphin.

E 39 was to be scrapped at Pembroke, but while under tow to that destination in the early morning, she slipped her tow and washed ashore on the rocks of Watwick Bay. She was subsequently refloated and may have broken in two, but in any event she was dragged to a final resting place at Watwick. Numerous salvage efforts were made over the years, removing substantial portions of the vessel, whose remains presently measure 20 meters in length lying at a depth of 10 to 14 meters. As of 2019, Richard Grice reports that he and other nautical archaeologists hope to obtain plans of the sub and obtain permission to dive the wreck to catalogue it.

Captains

Dates of appointment are provided when known.

• Lieutenant in Command George S. Walsh, 10 August, 1916 – 1 December, 1916
• Lieutenant-Commander Frederick C. C. Kennedy, 1 December, 1916 – 7 August, 1918
• Lieutenant in Command Maurice W. Bailward, 26 September, 1918 – 31 October, 1919  (soon to join the Materiel Reserve at Portsmouth)
• Lieutenant in Command Alan D. L. Macpherson, 1 February, 1920 – 9 September, 1920  (and 8 other Group "H" submarines in Reserve at Portsmouth)
• Lieutenant Victor C. Dorman-Smith, 5 October, 1920 – 15 April, 1921

See Also

• Wikipedia